Generally, a radial tire is formed by a plurality of tire components (constituting members). For example, as shown by FIG. 13, a tire T is manufactured by combining rubber members such as an inner liner 2, a tread 3, a side wall 4, a rim strip 5, and tire reinforcing members such as a carcass layer 1, a belt layer 7 which have therein a cord made of a fabric or made of a metal. Numeral 8 in the drawing designates a bead portion including a bead core 9.
As the carcass member (carcass ply) constituting the carcass layer of the radial tire, there is used a so-to-speak topping sheet topped (covered) with rubber by constituting a core member by a number of pieces of cords for reinforcement.
In a background art, such a carcass member for a tire uses a so-to-speak cord-like fabric of a comparatively wide width woven by constituting yarn mainly by a cord made by a synthetic fabric constituting a core member and roughly striking slender weft having as a connection at required intervals in yarn direction, rubber is topped to the cord-like fabric at a calendering step, at a next step, the fabric is cut to a predetermined width in accordance with a width of a carcass layer, the cords are directed in a transverse direction to be jointed successively to form in a shape of a long strip, thereafter, wound in a roll-like shape by interposing a separating cross to be jointed to be stocked, which is carried to a tire building step and is used by being cut to a predetermined length.
However, according to the method, there is needed a wide area for stocking a material or a fabricated carcass member of a material storage of a cord-like fabric or the like before being topped by calender or a storage of a carcass member which has been topped or the like, and personnels for transportation or the like are needed, a problem is proposed in a productivity, and the method is disadvantageous for building a tire of many kinds and small quantity production.
Therefore, in recent years, it is proposed to form a carcass member in a shape of a strip having a comparatively slender width by aligning a plurality of pieces of cords for reinforcement and topping the cords with rubber without using a cord-like fabric and build a carcass layer of a tire thereby.
For example, Patent Reference 1 and Patent Reference 2 disclose that by aligning a plurality of pieces of cords and passing the cords through a die for topping continuously provided with an extruder, rubber is topped to the cord rows to form into a strip-like shape, the strip-like member is cut by a predetermined length and the cut pieces are successively aligned to be bonded on a building drum or a conveyor, or the strip-like member is wound spirally on a drum for forming a sheet, the formed cylinder-like member is cut in a direction in parallel with a drum axis center (width direction) to form a carcass member in which the cord constitutes an angle of 90° substantially relative to a circumferential direction.
However, when the cut pieces of the strip-like member are aligned and bonded, time and labor is taken for cutting the strip-like member after having been topped and bonding the cut pieces to pose a problem that high speed formation cannot be desired, further, when the cylinder-like member spirally wound with the strip-like member is cut, the strip-like member is wound spirally with an angle in accordance with a width of the strip-like member, and therefore, there poses a problem that the carcass layer the cord of which constitutes the angle of substantially 90° relative to the tire circumferential direction cannot be formed.
Furthermore, in either of the cases, it is necessary to calculate and adjust strictly the width of the strip-like member to be fabricated in accordance with a circumferential length and a joint margin of the carcass layer of the tire constituting an object of building and a problem is posed in a productivity. Particularly, when a carcass layer is constituted by two layers, circumferential lengths thereof differ by a first layer on an inner side and a second layer on an outer side, and therefore, it is extremely difficult to calculate the width, depending on cases, it is also necessary to subject an end portion to process to cut in accordance with a length thereof.    Patent Reference 1: JP-A-2002-321267    Patent Reference 2: JP-A-2005-28688